


The Last Hope's Dreams

by themidgardiansongstress



Series: 6901: A Grumpy Space Odyssey [6]
Category: Game Grumps, Space Grumps - Fandom
Genre: F/M, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-23
Updated: 2017-12-03
Packaged: 2019-01-21 21:02:34
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 9
Words: 6,569
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12465888
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/themidgardiansongstress/pseuds/themidgardiansongstress
Summary: Hopes and Dreams-The thrilling conclusion to 6901





	1. Prologue: The Loves of Keightlin and Katelyn

Even before binding her life to his, First found that Katelyn’s amazement with Telos never ceased. 

He tried to show her as many of the wonders of the planet that he now called home as possible.  He took her to the Hall Of Desires, to test her devotion to him. Katelyn succeeded, because of course she did, he had her in his grasp now. This human woman would never be free of First, no matter what she did.

He decided to test her sexual interests, the things she called ‘kinks’ in her online confessions. Together, they explored each of her desires, exploring the planet of Telos in the process as well.

But Katelyn and First were not the only living things on Telos. Less than a week into her stay on Telos, First took her to the black beaches of Telos.

The blood red water stirred, and a siren from the Telos sea emerged, clearly haven taken an interest in Katleyn. The sirens of Telos, like most living things on planet, could change their appearance to resemble the person one most desired.

First couldn’t believe that Katelyn’s siren looked like him

—

After their swim, he led her down the beach to the Bleeding Cliffs of Telos, and showed her the ocean of the planet, glimmering red and warm as human blood. The black sand of the beach was made of what looked like pulverized obsidian, the cliffs made of the same onyx material. He told her the story of how the bleeding cliffs got their name, about how the ocean of Telos flowed red..

The statue looked like a very human figure, hands covering their face as they arched out over the ocean, blood red water pouring out of a large gash where their heart would be.

Long before First had ever called Telos home, the planet was occupied by a couple of human beings, deeply in love, and stranded on the planet.

They traveled the planet blindly, paying no mind to the Fitz that occupied the forest, small red firefly like creatures that infiltrated the minds of unaware travelers and toyed with them to the point of madness.

What actually led to one of the travelers stabbing the other was a mystery. All that First knew was that one of them was eventually forced to stab their partner. Now they were frozen in place on the edge of the cliffs, their statues pouring blood red water into the ocean of Telos.

—

Their time together passed as if he was in a dream. He traveled back to Earth with Katelyn, met her parents, and suffered their suspicions of him. He suffered a collision with a car, and revealed his true demonic nature to her parents. He was shocked when they still accepted him into their family, that they were pleased that he wanted to marry Katelyn.

When he took her parents back to Telos with them, he proposed to her, wanting to honor her human courtship traditions.

Katelyn confided to him through a shared dream that she wanted to start a family with First. In some of her dreams, their child was a girl, in others, a boy. But First didn’t have to heart to tell her that he could not create life-only destroy it.

She would occasionally have nightmares of his old enemies-of the Bombers coming to Telos and taking her from him. In every dream, he would run in a nd save her, bringing her back home. He wanted to run from his past. He wanted to run from the Bombers, and all the evil he head done with regards to them.

He wanted to forget about Leigh, about the Bombers, about Ultima.

He couldn’t have predicted how his past would come screaming back into the idyllic lie he had built for him and Katelyn.

—

Keightlin Jaxxa had never talked so much in her entire life.

On the first day Leigh came aboard her ship, he seemed to have a question for everything. ‘What did her ship run on? What kind of work did she do? How could he help?’

She had several pieces of equipment around her ship that required repairs for clients, and Leigh was never far behind to hand her whatever tool she needed. It was a nice change from having to hold a tool in the tendrils of her hair, at least.

“So…you hair has tentacles in it, right?” Leigh asked.

Keightlin looked up from a client file for a prosthetic eye. “You could call them that.”

Leigh flushed when she looked up at him. He blushes every time I talk to him, she thought. “Do they…do stuff?”

Keightlin arched an eyebrow at him, and remembered what he’d told her the first time she’d sung to him. “Oh, right.” She sighed, sitting back.

“Like, do you use them for…”

“For sex? I can. They’re not neverending, if that’s what you’re wondering.”

“Can you move them?”

“They’re prehensile. Not every Cinner can move them around for that kind of thing, but I can.” She shrugged, a few of the tentacles hanging by her ears mirroring the movement.

Leigh’s eye widened when he saw the tentacles move, and he bolted from the room.

—

Later that day, Keightlin found him sketching away on a drawing pad. “A real drawing pad. It’s been awhile since I’ve seen one made of paper.”

Leigh looked up at her, his one eye wide. “Oh, uh, yeah, I-just, I like to draw.” He stammered up.

“Can I see what you drew?”

Leigh bit his lip, but nodded quietly, handing her the sketchpad. On it was a sketchy drawing of First, his pale skin marred by severe burn wounds, dirty white hospital robes clinging to him in tatters. His pale yellow eyes stared out from a cold face, his gaze chilling Keightlin to the bone, even in drawing alone.

She sat next to Leigh, looking at him. “Leigh, who is this a drawing of?”

“He…used me to hurt people. He…told me to hurt people…” His face scrunched up and he sobbed, rubbing his one eye. He started turning away from Keightlin, hands shaking.

She took his hands in her own. “Leigh, if what you’re telling me is true, then…the people you hurt, it was his fault, Leigh. Not yours, not yours.”

“But, the First God tricked me, and I let him use my body, and I couldn’t do anything, I couldn’t…”

“Leigh.” She spoke softly, placing her hand on his cheek. “It wasn’t your fault.”

Leigh hugged her tightly, throwing his arms around her neck. She blinked for a moment, but hugged him back, patting the back of his head. “It’s okay, Leigh, you’re…okay.”

—

On the day Leigh’s soul was taken by Ultima, Leigh asked Keightlin for his eye back.

“You want a new eye?” She asked.

Leigh started wringing his hands, but nodded. “I want a cool robot eye, like the robot arm you have.”

Keightlin glanced down at her robotic arm, red metal glinting dully in the soft blue lights of her ship. “I have a couple contacts I can call up, if you really want one.”

Leigh’s face brightened up at that. Keightlin felt, again, a strange connection to him as she took his hand. “You go on ahead and get ready for bed while I put the ship on autopilot.”

—

Though there was only one cabin on the ship, Leigh was fairly shy about sharing a cabin with Keightlin. He slept on his own cot for the first few nights on her ship, but Keightlin noticed that whenever she stayed up to work on a few pieces of equipment, Leigh slept in her bed.

That was where she found him on the night his soul disappeared.

Keightlin chuckled, sitting on the edge of the bed. “If you wanted to climb into my ed, you just had to say so.”

Leigh scrambled to his feet. “S-sorry! I just…your bed smells-”

She paused at that. “My bed smells like me?” She asked.

Leigh nodded, his one eye  looking away as his blush deepened. Keightlin stood up, patting his blushing cheek. “Get ready for bed. We can cuddle up in here.”

Leigh’s eye widened before he scrambled to grab his pajamas, running from the room to change.

—

Keightlin lay on her bed across from the entrance to her room. Leigh entered the doorway, wearing a loose white t-shirt made of an impossibly soft cotton material and gray boxers. Keightlin grinned, smoothing the bed down next to her.

Leigh practically jumped into the bed, staring at Keightlin with one wide eye as she turned to him. His eye traced the curve of her hips, swallowing nervously. Then Keightlin placed a finger under his chin, bringing his eye back up to hers. “Goodnight, Leigh.” She smiled, kissing his forehead before draping her arm over his waist.

Leigh blinked, trying to calm his rapid heartbeat. “I love you, Kieghtlin.” He whispered, leaning in to rest his forehead against hers.

She smiled softly, opening her eyes to look at Leigh. “We can kiss tomorrow if you want.” She whispered.

Leigh smiled, cuddling into Keightlin’s chest.

—

When Keightlin awoke the next day, Leigh was as good as dead beside her.


	2. My Ghost (So Close I Can Taste It)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Song references: Ghost-Halsey, Emperor's New Clothes-Panic At The Disco

Blue light dripped from her hands as she moved them over Leigh’s unconscious body.

 He had been comatose for nearly a week, and it hadn’t been any easier on Keightlin.

“It’s so hard to think of him as alive when he looks so dead.”

“He’ll be alright, once I can figure out where his soul went.” Ultima sat back, watching Leigh before turning towards Keightlin. 

“He…” She looked down. “Is he going to be okay?”

“We’ll see.” She murmured, looking back at Leigh. “Oh Leigh. Where did you go?”  
—  
He was getting stronger. 

Every time he knew Keightlin, First could feel his strength growing. And every time they knew each other, it only served to make him stronger. Even just being near her fed into his strength.

He could even enter her dreams while they slept near each other, but unlike before, he could interact with the dreaming Katelyn, could influence the whole dream. And he could pull her into his own dreams.

So the night that Leigh’s soul, Leigh’s consciousness appeared in Katelyn’s dream, he was ill prepared for it. He had all but forgotten the sins of his past, of the suffering he’d left behind in his wake.

Guilt washed over him as he saw Katelyn leading Leigh into the palace she lived in with First. When Leigh looked up at him with that single sad eye, First finally decided. He could at least show Leigh what pleasure was.

It was the least he could do to make up for Leigh’s pain.


	3. Leigh's Journey

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Never feels good to realize that after the threesome :/

Leigh had no idea where he was, but he found now that he didn’t care. 

These people, Katelyn and her mysterious companion who lived in the strange castle on a strange planet fascinated him. He couldn’t help but trust them immediately. 

The sirens on Telos had the strange quality of taking on the appearance of the person the viewer most desired. Thus, for Katelyn, they appeared with the face of First. For Leigh, they looked like Ultima. It didn’t concern him, but he voiced his slight crush on Keightlin to Katelyn and her companion. They showed him how to please her, how to please himself, both of them. Leigh discovered some things about himself that he wasn’t aware of. He knew her companion, the pale, black haired man that seemed more than human. He…made Leigh feel more than he had ever felt in his short life. There was a certain joy in exploring these things that Keightlin had hinted at. 

But it was over too soon. After being showered in their love, Leigh felt himself being pulled out of this place. He gave them each a tearful goodbye, and departed from the strange planet where he felt he had spent so little time on.

—

Keightlin had fallen asleep next to Leigh when he gasped awake, coughing harshly. She immediately ran over to him. “Leigh!”

Leigh looked up at her and blushed deeply. “H-Hi Keightlin.” He whispered.

—

The light behind the monitor flicked on as the lines on it beeped to life. “As you can see, Leigh’s breathing became increasingly erratic in the week that he was gone.”

Barry pointed to the monitor in the med bay, tapping at the erratic monitor lines. “His heartbeat is all fucked up, too.” She pointed. “It’s like he’s being attacked, or something.”

Leigh looked down and blushed as he remembered what had happened to him. “I….Yeah, that’s kinda weird.”

“Leigh…what happened to you?” Keightlin took his hand, murmuring softly.

Leigh bit his lip, looking down. “I…I was lost. I was in this forest, and it was so scary and dark, and I didn’t know where to go.”

“Where was this forest, Leigh?” Ultima asked, sitting across from him.

“I don’t know, but it was scary.” He said simply. “Then there was this girl…she was really pretty. She had this like, chocolate brown hair and she was really pale, but cute. She led me to this palace, and she introduced me to her…her boyfriend, I think.”

“What did he look like?” A chill ran through Ulitma-a young pale woman with brown hair-the woman First had kidnapped?

“He was super pale, even paler than milk. He looked…kind of gross, actually. But I guess she loved him. He had this hair, that was just…so nice looking.”

Ultima froze. “Leigh, what did you do while you were with them?”

Leigh blinked at the fear in her face. “I-I-they showed me a siren that looked like you, Ultima, and then I…did stuff with her.” Leigh admitted.

“Ah. You had sex with her.” Keightlin nodded. “What happened next?”

“Ah, then I…” Leigh blushed even more deeply. “I was…it felt nice, being with them. But then…I got pulled back, I don’t know how, but I just…came back.”

Ultima sat back, and put a hand on his shoulder. “Leigh, you have to listen to me. This…person that you met, is The First God.”

Leigh looked at her, confused and innocent. “But-but he had hair. He was nice to me.”

Ultima bit her lip. “He…I don’t know what he did, but he got stronger, and healed himself. I think that, this woman that you saw him with is how he’s been getting energy. He must be draining her for power.”

That quieted the room, and Leigh looked down, hugging himself. “O-okay then. Then, was he using me too?”

Ultima was off, Keightlin moving to comfort Leigh. “We need to go to this planet. Given the sirens and the dead forest, it would have to be Telos, the place Keightlin told us about.” She turned to the cinner. “Where is Telos?”

She looked up at Ultima. “I-I don’t know. No one’s seen that planet for thousands of years.”

“Then we have to move fast.” She turned to leave the ship. “The more time we take, the stronger First gets. And when he’s exhausted his new supply of power, who knows what he’ll do.” 


	4. Tough Purple Love

Far above Telos, two galaxies swirled, red and blue spirals locked in galactic cannibalism. 

First led Katelyn and her parents outside to watch it, and it was there that he decided to make her his.

He married her on the bleeding cliffs of Telos, the sound of the waterfall almost drowning out the words they said that promised themselves to each other. After they kissed, he knew that was his for sure. But his happiness was never meant to last.

The galaxies merged together, azure meeting red in a swirl of amethyst, the swirl of galaxies shooting a dark purple beam down to the planet. In a splash of purple, the cliff was struck by the beam, purple crystals crawling along the edge of the cliff as First picked up Katelyn, running from the cliff with her. Her parents followed close behind them leaping out of the way once the crystals stopped growing.

First stared at the crystals, the purple structure spanning up to the most dizzying height, a bright purple beam emanating from it and shooting into the sky.

—

Far across the galaxies, Ultima sat up, her crystals aglow and almost vibrating with a warmth she had never felt. She walked through the halls of the Starbomb, possessed by the goddesses within her, all of them calling out to the last of them.

She stepped into the bridge, eyes glowing as she stared out into the void of space, a beam of purple energy rushing towards her. It phased through the glass of the Bridge’s windows. She arched her back, her feet lifting into the air as she was pulled upwards, starting to curl in on herself. Her hand was hanging down by her side, and Arin grabbed it.

She fell back against him, blinking rapidly as she came back to herself. “I know where the last Goddess is.” She looked up at Arin. “Set a course for Telos.”

—

Leigh lay on his side, looking at nothing as sleep evaded him again. He tosse off the blankets, walking to the bathroom Keightlin had on her ship. He got into the bathtub, letting the hot water scald him slightly as he rubbed his skin harshly, his palish skin soon turning red from the violent shower he was taking.

When he got out of the bath, he sat back in the bed, shaking as he hugged himself tightly. Keightlin stirred awake, and turned towards Leigh. “Leigh?”

“Why do you keep me around?” He mumbled.

“Leigh…” She began.

He looked at her, eye shining with tears. “I’m not whole. I’m not a complete person.” He sobbed, his face twisting as he clenched his fist on his forehead, his body folding in on itself as she put her hand on his shoulder. “I used to be a vessel for First. I was…that’s why he made me, but…” He turned to her. “Look at me! I’m useless now!” He pointed to the eyepatch on his face. “All I’m good for is being used and I can’t even do that!”

“Leigh!” She stopped him, grabbing his shoulders. “You do so much! Just because you have one eye doesn’t make you less of a person!” He said nothing, only sniffed as he looked away. She hugged him tightly. “I dont have two arms either. Does that make me less than who I am?”

Leigh shook his head. “No, no, you’re perfect.”

“Then so are you.” She replied. “So are you…” She got up and walked over to a cabinet nearby. She pulled out a chunk of lapis lazuli, shaped like, surprisingly, a heart. She twisted it, and the two halves separated in two carefully interconnecting chunks, and she handed him one half on a black cord.

“What is this?” Leigh asked.

She put the necklace on him, then put the other on herself. “Ta Eros Mu Carados.” She whispered, leaning in and kissing him as the necklaces joined together again, shimmering slightly.

“What?” Leigh asked again, staring at her with a wide eye. She pulled him close to her body, sinking back into the bed with him.

—

Afterwards, Leigh stared into the dark, the half a heart shimmering in the dark as Keightlin held him close. Despite being so full of love, there was still and aching emptiness within him, a void that her love had failed to fill. He knew what he had to do now, and wept silently as he buried his face into Keightlin’s sleeping shoulder.


	5. Come Back, Fear; Stay Away, Love

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kinkshaming a god is a worthwhile use of your time.

The dark shape of Kator loomed large in the view of the Starbomb’s bridge as they approached it.

“Who would have guessed,” Brian thought. “That the last Goddess would appear here, at a planet that has been the cause of so much destruction across the universe.”

“It’s almost poetic.” Ultima remarked. “As if written into a book.” She chuckled, a shiver of existential self awareness going through her.

“But this isn’t our destination.” Barry remarked. “The moon of Kator-”

“There.” Ani nodded to a smaller black moon orbiting around Kator. As they got closer, the featureless black orb came into focus, revealing dark, blood red oceans, strange natural structures of black rock jutting from around the world. Then they saw it.

Along the black coastline, a cliff protruded out from the edge of the sheer rock face. A dangerous looking spire of purple crystal crackled with energy, having attached itself to the rocks like a glittery fungus on a fallen log.

“We can’t land near that. Put us down on that beach, we’ll climb up the cliff from there.” Arin instructed, Kevin and Holly navigating the ship down.

When the Bombers stepped out of the ship, there were standing on a black sand beach, the dark sand drinking in light like a black hole. Ultima looked out over the red ocean, shivering at how much it looked like blood.

“Let’s go.” She sighed, climbing up the beach toward the cliff. Then the crystal on the clif came to life, glowing with a bright purple energy, a beam of purple light coming down and surrounding Ultima, lifting her off the ground.

“Ultima!” Arin ran forward, only to be blasted back by the beam when he tried to touch it. She tried to turn back to him in vain, only to feel her body hardening, she looked down at her hands, staring in horror as multicolored crystals grew from her neck to cover her whole body. Then, it shattered, leaving her cloaked in multicolored light as the purple light concentrated on her neck, lavender crystals sinking into her skin.

Ultima tried to scream, but the shock of what she was going through froze the sound in her throat. She felt every cell, every atom, every quark within her shattering and stitching back together like a broken bone. It was terrifying, but she’d never felt stronger.

And then it was over. Ultima was standing on the cliff, looking straight ahead at the red horizon as the warm air washed over her. She looked down not at all surprised to find that her clothes were gone. She heard the Bombers screaming behind her, and she looked back, blinking as Arin and Dan raced ahead of the others up the cliff.

“Ultima, what the-” Arin began.

“You’re uh-”

She nodded. “I know.” She looked away from the ocean, towards a a structure that was jutting from the top of the forest. “The First God. He’s here.” She stepped through the men she loved towards the structure, her hair blowing in the wind.

—

As they walked, Arin and Dan had convinced her to put on her uniform again, handing her some boots that she’d been partial to. The structure they’d been approaching loomed larger and larger, now clearly a castle.

“So you’re just gonna grab her?” Arin asked. “First is, obviously, not gonna take that well.”

“He’s leeching power off of this woman. Of course he’ll be upset, but I’m strong enough to face him now.” She gestured to the six crystals on her neck, each thrumming like a beating heart.

Arin bit his lip. “Will this be over once you do that?” Dan asked.   
“Pretty much.” She answered ominously.

—

The castle had no gate. It was just a huge structure with an opening, the Bombers stepping in cautiously, blasters drawn. Soft voices were heard from down the twisting black hallways, the Bombers walking through it slowly.

Ultima peaked around the corner, and her blood went cold before boiling with rage. First sat on a throne, wearing flowing black robes, intimidating on his own. There was a pale young woman with chocolate brown hair kneeling next to him, resting her head on his knee. Her eyes were half-open, reminding Ultima of how dazed Leigh looked when he was listening to Cinner music.

Then First reached down, and stroked the young woman’s head. She mewled like a cat would, and looked up at First. That was when they saw the collar and leash she wore, and that she was wearing nothing but pale pink lingerie.

Ultima fired a warning blast of yellow fire next to First’s head. “Let her go First.” She spoke evenly. “It’s over. Your fight is finished.”

First stood, staring at her. “Ultima, leave this place, you-” She fired another blast of golden flame at him, and he doubled over in pain. Ultima mirrored his actions, doubling over and clutching her stomach as a burning pain seared her torso.

The other Bombers rushed forward, taking advantage of the comfusion to pick up the young woman. Holly and Ross hoisted her between them, running out of the palace.

“Let’s get out of here! Ultima!” Arin grabbed her arm, and she stumbled out with him. First pursued for a moment, and Ultima used her powers to rip a chucnk of rock from the wall. Her powers morphed it into a spear of black rock, and she threw it at First. It lodged into his chest, narrowly missing his heart. He screamed in pain, and Ultima screamed at the same time, gasping in pain as they ran away. First collapsed, darkness surrounding his vision.


	6. Minds In Flux

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kinky Or Terrifying? You Decide!

Leigh sat quietly, looking down at his hands, at the necklace he wore.

 It felt so heavy on his chest, and he stared at himself in the mirror, reaching up to touch the scar where his eye once was. “First.” He whispered. “Take me back. I…I want to be useful again, please.” He hung his head over the sink, sobbing from one eye. The empty eye socket burned in his skull.

—

Ultima stared at the young woman they’d rescued from First, watching her sleep for a moment while Barry examined her own wounds. “Well, the good news is that you’re not really hurt. There’s some light bruising, but it’s…fading fast.”

She nodded. “Why did it hurt you if he was the one that got shot?” Arin asked her.

“There’s…something the goddesses want me to do. It has to do with First, and what he and I-”

A low whine came from the table where the woman was sleeping, and she turned in her sleep, disturbed by something she was dreaming of. Ultima walked over to her, siting next to her. The young woman opened her eyes and stared at Ultima. They were hazy, as if she was intoxicated or heavily drugged.

“Where’s First?” She asked meekly, voice tiny and desperate.

“You’re safe here. What’s your name?” Ultima asked.

The young woman blinked. “Name? I…I don’t…” She shook her head, sitting up.

“Do you remember your name? Where you were born? Who you are?” Ultima asked.

The young woman shook her head. “No, no, I just want to see First.” She whined. “He needs me!” Tears started streaming down her face and Ultima glew with green light. She put her hand on the young woman’s forehead, emerald energy lacing into her mind. Ultima cleared the influence that First had left on the woman’s mind, pulling it away.

When she was done, the young woman stared at her, blinking rapidly. “Wait, you’re….” She looked around at the other Bombers gathered around her. “You’re…all real?”

—

First gasped, his face mashed into the floor. He got up, coughing as he covered his wounds with his hand. No. With Katelyn gone, he could feel himself growing weaker and weaker, and he gasped, leaning against a wall.

Then he heard it; a weak, shaky prayer that reached across the cosmos to him.

“First… Take me back. I…I want to be useful again, please.” It was Leigh, calling out to him. With a gasp, First teleported himself to where Leigh was, towering over him.

“What is it?” He asked wearily, glaring down at Leigh.

Leigh jumped, shaking as he stared at First. His one eye shined with tears. “I-I want to be useful. I…I’m not good for anything but letting you use me. Just please.”

First sighed heavily. “You want me to possess you again? I can’t.” He gestured to the scar on Leigh’s face, the spiral symbol there. “Your body is protected by that mark. The one that Ultima left on you.”

Leigh scrunched up his face. “Bu-but you don’t need to possess my body! I just…I…” Leigh sobbed, hiding his face in his hands.

Then a thought came to First. He felt the gnarled root of evil taking hold of his heart again, wrapping around it like ivy.

He reached out to touch Leigh’s chin, tipping his head up to look into his face. Leigh blinked up at him, hiccuping quietly. “You can be useful again, Leigh.” He whispered.

Hope filled Leigh’s eye, and First felt a twinge of guilt in his heart before he squashed it away. “What do I have to do?”

First leaned in to whisper into Leigh’s ear, one arm reaching around Leigh’s waist to pull him close. Leigh shivered, oddly experiencing the same feeling he got when Keightlin smiled at him. “Give me your body, give me your mind and I’ll give you everything you want.”

—

Her name was Katelyn, and her story was one that consisted of multiple sessions of consensual sex with First. “He just…showed up one day in my house, and took me to this planet that I thought was Hell.”

Arin leaned against a nearby wall, his arms crossed as he listened to Katelyn’s story. “And you just…stayed with him?” He asked evenly. “Didn’t you know what he was?”

Katelyn blushed, looking down. “I…kind of knew he was evil, but…the longer I was there with him, the less I cared.”

“That connection can cloud your judgement.” Ultima nodded. “But you do love him, because at least to you, he is good.”

Katelyn nodded. “You-you guys aren’t going to hurt him, are you?”

Ultima shook her head, placing her hand on Katelyn’s, her eyes glowing green as she transferred something telepathically to Katelyn. Katelyn’s eyes widened in terror, and she stared at Ultima, shaking her head subtly.“No. But you will.”


	7. Love For A Body

First led Leigh into the palace on Telos, practically dragging him in.

 Leigh stumbled to catch up with him, staring at him as he did so.

They said nothing as First led him to his bedroom, setting him on the bed. He crouched down in front of Leigh, staring into his eyes. “Are you ready to give me everything?” He asked quietly, his words dripping like poisoned honey.

Leigh nodded, eye wide and trusting as he looked at First. First’s eyes shifted, his voice became more sonorous.

By the time First said the first word, Leigh could already feel his mind unraveling.

—

“We’re getting a video transmission.” Barry announced to Arin. “From Keightlin Jaxxa.”

“Transmit.” Arin replied.

The sound of Keightlin tearfully speaking could be heard. “He’s gone-he’s really gone, I don’t know where-”

“Keightlin, we’re orbiting Kator, come on over to us and we’ll-”

All the light systems on the ship went dark, alarm lights blaring as the others gathered on the bridge.

“Arin!” Ultima rushed in with Katelyn following close behind her as the other Bombers went to their positions on the bridge. “What’s happening?”

Then, all at once, the lights came back on, and a cloud of black smoke stood in full view of Keightlin and Katelyn on the bridge. First appeared in a wash of black smoke and sand, staring at Ultima. “So, you’ve got my Katelyn.”

Katelyn looked up, and Ultima gently moved her behind herself. “What do you want, First?”

“It’s simple.” He purred, Katelyn shivering behind Ultima at the sound of his voice. “I have your precious Leigh. You have my beloved Katelyn.”

“What, you want a trade?” Ultima reasoned.   
“Bring her back to my palace on Telos, and you can have Leigh.”

He disappeard, and Keightlin’s face was set in anger. “I’m coming with you all. Just give me a minute to re-route my ship.”

—

As the Bombers prepared for take off for Telos, Ultima sat with Katelyn in her cabin, wlaking to grab something. “Are you sure you can do this?” She asked.

Katelyn bit her lip. “I don’t know…I just…want to be with him again.”

Ultima nodded, looking back at her. “I know you do.” She crouched down in front of Katelyn. Her eyes glowed green, and she placed the knife in Katelyn’s hand. “I’m sorry.” She felt Katelyn’s mind melt under her powers.

—

The two ships touched down on Telos, the blue Cinner ship landing next to the Starbomb. The Bombers came out to meet with Keightlin. “So that’s the palace there?” Keightlin pointed ahead of them to the palace.

Katelyn would have commented on the existence of her alternate self, but her mind was too far gone, and they made their way to the palace.

—

First was waiting for them outside of the palace, sitting on a makeshift throne with Leigh kneeling next to him. Leigh was just wearing pants, a chain and collar attached to his neck. “So. Here we are.” First began. He unclipped the collar, taking it off of Leigh. He stood, grabbing Leigh’s arm and leading him over to the Bombers.

Keightlin’s eyes flared in anger when she saw the dazed state Leigh was in. She walked forward and hugged him, glaring at First. “Fine.” Ultima sighed. “You fulfilled your end of the deal.” She let Katelyn go, and the young woman went to FIrst immediately.

The Bombers watched him smile, watched his face break into joy as he hugged Katelyn close.

Then she plunged the knife into First’s chest.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Get rekt first


	8. Ultima's Apotheosis

Katelyn’s eyes widened, and she looked down at First as he fell to his knees, coughing up black blood. “Katelyn?” He asked weakly, looking up at her.

“First, no, please, don’t.” She knelt down, shaking as she tried to press her hand on his wound. The blood ran over her hand and she sobbed. The Bombers were all in stunned silence, and only Ultima walked forward, kneeling next to Katelyn.

“It’s alright, Katleyn.” She murmured, going to place her hand on First’s wounds. The six gems on her neck all glowed, and one by one, each goddess appeared around her, behind her. First’s body dissolved into black sand, truly disappearing as Ultima swirled it around her body.

All at once, the black sand moved into Ultima, and she began floating off the ground, curling up as her body morphed, changing and turning into pure light.

Then, Ultima floated back to the ground, her body glowing with grey light as she stared at all the Bombers. Then the goddesses spoke, through her, around her. “So, here we all are.”

“Where’s First?” Katelyn asked, shaking as she stood up.

The Goddesses looked at her. “The First God was never the first god. When we were all gathered, we wanted to create a seventh goddess, one with the power to destroy and create any matter that the first six goddesses held dominion over.”  
“And…what, The First God separated?” Arin asked.

“The First God was the destructive half of the seventh goddess, but one could not survive without the other. Separated, they needed a body to survive.”

“So FIrst possessing people…” Dan began.

“It was an attempt to recreate himself, to find his Creative half.” The goddesses spoke.

“And Ultima? The Daughter of the Cosmos?” Arin asked, still in confusion.

“The creative half of the seventh goddess. She was sent out to find us again when First destroyed us and separated us across the cosmos.”

It all slid into place, suddenly, the Bombers understood. “Then…what happens to Ultima?”

“Ultima was always our creation. She is a goddess now, and her decision is her own.”

The glow concentrated around Ultima’s hands, and she stepped forward, taking Dan and Arin’s hands.

“Arin, Dan. I have loved you so much, and you have shown me this universe, and all that it can be.” She began.

“Ultima…” Arin began, holding her hand more tightly. “Now, I want to give you two something.” She swirled her hands, and a wave of something washed off of Dan, Arin and Ultima, concentrating between the three of them.

Ultima held the glow in her arms, handing it off to Arin and Dan. “A…a baby?”

“Her name is Stari. The first human being born with three sets of DNA mixed within her. Take care of her.”

Arin blinked, staring down at the baby Ultima had just…created out of thin air. Then she turned to Katleyn. “It’s alright, Katelyn.” SHe held her hand, swirling it until the shape of First’s body appeared.

“First? Why?” SHe looked over at Ultima.

“He is still the man you love. His powers will only work for your benefit, and he cnanot use them against others.”

Katelyn sniffed, nodding as she walked over to First, taking his hand. The strange couple retreated back to the palace. “I…thank you.” She walked away to go back to the palace with First.

Ultima looked out amongst the Bombers. The goddesses behind her took her hand, ready to lead her into the sky. “I…Arin, Dan…”

“Don’t go, Ultima, don’t leave us with-” Dan asked, reaching out to her as she floated, her hand holding his.

“I’ll be back, just…I just have to go for now.” She blinked tears away, leaning down to kiss Dan and Arin, floating into the night, up and away, into the stars with the other goddesses.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Be your own goddess.


	9. The Ghost In The Back Of Your Head

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> So here we are. The final chapter.

Having a baby on board the Starbomb did a lot to improve the disposition of the crew. 

Stari was a child that shared the same face shape and skin tone of Ultima, a streak of blonde hair in her curly black hair. She grew quickly in a month, and Arin couldn’t help but think of how much better it would be to have Ultima there with them.

Arin looked down as Dan put Stari into her crib. “Do you think she knows?” Arin asked, looking up at Dan.

“She’s a month old, Arin. The only thing she knows is that we’re her parents.” Dan sighed. “Come on. Get some sleep. You’re on Stari duty tonight.” He chuckled.

—

They were awoken in the night by the sound of Stari cooing, awoken by some mysterious enchanting thing.

Arin and Dan made their way to Stari’s room, hope growing in their hearts. A woman with long black hair stood with her back to them, holding Stari in her arms.

“Ultima?” Arin asked cautiously, staring at her.

She turned to him, seven jewels glittering on her neck in the dark. Dan and Arin rushed forward, hugging her tightly.

—

The next day, Ultima walked to the bridge with Dan and Arin. Arin sat in his command Chair, Ultima and Dan moving to the navigational panels. Stari sat in a high chair nearby, gurgling as she played with a random wooden toy Holly and Ross had given her.

“So.” Ultima began. “Where to?” She asked Dan and Arin.

Arin smiled at her, and gave them a set of coordinates. Dan and Ultima set the course.

And so the Starbomb powered off, flying away into the stars, the only place any of them could now call home.

For now, at last, the Bombers, Ultima, and the universe, were at peace.


End file.
